IndiGo Flight Returns To Airport After Crew Spots Overbooked Passenger Standing

An IndiGo flight from Mumbai to Varanasi was forced to return to the aerobridge at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) on Tuesday after an overbooked passenger was spotted by the crew just before take-off.

The incident occurred around 7.50 am when a crew member noticed a male passenger standing at the rear of the aircraft while flight 6E 6543 was taxiing.

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IndiGo Flight Returns To Airport - Here's Why

"The pilot was alerted by the crew, necessitating the flight's return to the terminal," explained Sandeep Pandey, a passenger on board. Airlines typically overbook flights to minimize the likelihood of departing with empty seats, as reported by Hindustan Times.

Akhilesh Chaubey, another passenger travelling to Varanasi for work, stated, "The flight returned to the bay, and the passenger was offloaded. The airline then checked the cabin baggage of all passengers before proceeding with take-off after a delay of at least an hour."

According to the flight tracking website Flightradar24, the aircraft eventually took off at 8.41 am, as per media reports.

"There was an error during the passenger boarding process of flight 6E 6543 from Mumbai to Varanasi, where a standby passenger was assigned a seat reserved for a confirmed passenger. This error was identified prior to departure, and the standby passenger was de-boarded, causing a slight delay," an airline spokesperson reported.

"IndiGo will take all measures to strengthen its operational processes and regrets the inconvenience caused to customers." Amit Mishra, another passenger on the same flight, noted that they landed in Varanasi at around 10.30 am, as reported by Hindustan Times.

"For a 7.50 am flight, one needs to be at the airport by 6.30 am at the latest if there is no check-in bag. Such delays due to the airline's operational errors need to be addressed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)." The aviation regulator has been imposing penalties on airlines for denying boarding to passengers with valid tickets.

According to the DGCA's civil aviation regulations notified in 2016, no compensation is required if an alternative flight is arranged within an hour of the scheduled departure. However, if an alternative flight is arranged within 24 hours, the airline must pay 200% of the booked one-way basic fare plus the airline fuel charge, up to a maximum of ₹10,000.